Little Wonders
by JLlove23
Summary: It is Christmas break of the gangs freshman year in college. It is Nathan and Haley's first Christmas with their newborn son. They are planning on going to Dan's house for the holidays, but has Dan changed? Is Nathan right about having the Christmas turn
1. Snow!

**Hey! This is one of two of my stories. I really hope you all enjoy it!**

**It's Christmas time and the Naley family are heading to Dan's beach house for Christmas. Has Dan changed or will he ruin baby Naley's first christmas?**

**Little Wonders**

**Chapter 1**

It was a year after the accident that changed our lives. I think that it changed us in a good way. Nathan has been even more protective of me since that day. I know he won't admit it, sometimes when I see him alone, watching TV or getting ready to go somewhere, I still see that guilt. Sometimes I just look at him, wait until he sees me, and then I break apart from what ever I was doing and just kiss him. I break away and say, "Baby it is okay. I'm here. And so is our son. I love you." Then his smile shows. It doesn't matter if I have to remind him every once in awhile because then I make sure that he knows its okay. I find it funny sometimes how I can just look at him and know what he is thinking.

The past year has had its ups and downs. Nathan was always there, making sure I was okay through the remainder of my pregnancy, trying to make enough money for what we need and also in the process of graduating high school. My husband would take me out, maybe just for a walk or something to eat. He would hold my hand and squeeze it ever so gently three times, meaning "I love you". I would do the same back.

To this day I wonder "how did I get so lucky?" I have a husband who loves me with every ounce in him, a son that is an only a few months old and still will always take my breath away, and friends who are always there. Nathan, our son, and I are at Duke University. With the help of Dan, we were able to get an apartment on campus. School for us isn't bad, but it does get difficult when we have a son in our lives. For the most part, since graduation, we couldn't be happier. Nathan and I switch off from going to school and work so someone will be with the baby. But now that it is Christmas vacation, we have plenty of time maybe even to be alone for a few hours.

This Christmas we are heading back to Tree Hill. Everyone, including Dan, Peyton, and Lucas will all be at Dan's beach house with us. Brooke is planning on stopping by and Karen will also be there with her baby daughter, Sophie.

It is the day before Christmas Eve and in a few hours we will be on the road driving to Tree Hill. I wake up in my husband's arms and he's still sleeping. Surprisingly, James seems to still be sleeping as well. He is usually the one waking us up in the morning. I can tell Nathan is in a deep sleep, but it's a bummer that I'm the only one awake. Before we had James, I was usually the first one to get up in the morning, but now I'm not used to it. I laugh at this. I notice that Nathan has started to stir a little, but he then goes back to sleep. The light in the room is very bright when it comes through the windows. I look outside the window to find something that definitely brings a smile to my face. Snow!

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I know, the first chapter is short, but I promise that there is more to come. Please read and review!!!:)


	2. Family Bonding

**Chapter 2: Family Bonding **

The snow now makes this Christmas even better. I turn back around to see my husband still in the same position. He is on his back with his head turned slightly towards me. I smile to myself. God I love him. I plant a kiss on his sleepy lips and quietly get up from bed to go check on James. I tiptoe through the nursery over to his crib. James is wide awake playing with his stuffed animal. Once he sees his mommy, he smiles knowing that someone is up to play with him. I love when it is just me and him in the morning sometimes while daddy is still sleeping. I tickle his little sides just to hear his little baby giggle. It seems like our little "mommy" routine when we have those days. Since today is one of those days, we do exactly that. After about fifteen minutes, I take him out of his crib. "We should go wake daddy up, shouldn't we" I say to him.

With James on my hip, I tiptoe back into our room to find Nathan still in the same position. Hmmmm, I think. How should we wake him up? I think of an idea and put James on his bare stomach. Whenever James and Nathan play together, I know for a fact that James crawls up to him and plays with a face. So by putting James on his stomach, I know exactly what will happen.

James crawls up to his face and starts patting his hand against his cheek. He never pats it hard though. At this point, Nathan starts laughing still with his eyes being closed. I am now finally able to let out my laugh that I have been holding in for the past few minutes.

"Hey, buddy" he smiles, "Good morning to you too."

Nathan plants a kiss on his forehead and grabs him off his chest to lie down next to him. Nathan loves James. When I see them together, he just glows with happiness. It makes me happy. I could be just sitting in the kitchen doing homework and I couldn't be more tired or frustrated. I then would take a break look over at Nathan who is playing with James on the ground. I just smile.

They both then notice me looking and Nathan smiles and whispers "I love you". I walk over lay next to them and completely forget about my homework, although I found being with my family more important.

"What about me" I say with a playful pout.

"Morning Mrs. Scott" he leans in and gives me a kiss. 'Morning Mr. Scott" I say without the pout now. "You ready for today?"

He sighs, "I guess so. But do we really have to go?"

"Aww, I wish we didn't but we already promised we would be there."

"Yeah, yeah I know. You know how I hate going to my dads place." He looks at me trying to convince me to have us all stay home.

"Sorry baby. And yes I do know you hate going to see your dad. But remember we won't be the only ones there so it won't be as bad as you're thinking it will be. Sad enough as it is, we do have to start getting going soon."

He sighs and looks at me, "Okay. But can all three of us to lay here for a few minutes 'cause this rarely happens?"

This makes me smile. I nod and lay down with James in between us. I look at James and then look up at Nathan who has been staring at me. "What?" I say laughing.

"Oh, nothing. Have I told you how much I loved you lately? Because I do love you, Hales. I love you more than you can imagine." He says while pushing a piece of hair behind my ear.

"I love you too. I love all three of us" I giggle while looking at my husband right in the eyes.

He smiles and kisses me passionately, but we are broken apart with the sound of our son giggling loudly. God I love them.

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There's the second chapter. Hope you all liked it. Tell me what you think!


	3. To leave or not to leave?

**Just letting you all know that this is two chapters in one. The third chapter was a little short so i added the forth one in. Hope you all like it!**

**Chapter 3: To leave or not to leave?**

About two hours later, we have eaten breakfast and cleaned up the food that little Jamie threw around the kitchen. Although both Nathan and I looked upset, we couldn't help but laugh. In the meantime, James threw some of his food at his fathers face. This made me crack up. Nathan looked shocked. He turned back and forth between James and I. I could not stop laughing. Nathan looked at me and smiled like he was thinking of a plan. "You better not doing anything to me, Nathan Scott" I said still laughing.

"Oh and what if I do" now was getting up from his chair. I run away laughing. He chases after me with baby food on his face. "Hales you better run." Thank God Nathan didn't get anything on me. He just chased me around the apartment just to scare me.

While Nathan took a shower first, I brought James into our bedroom and sat him on the bed so I could finish packing. James was watching some cartoon while chewing on his toy. Out of no where, James would look up at the TV and find something amusing to distract him. I looked up at him and smiled. Our little bundle of joy. I finished packing and heard Nathan open the bathroom door. Immediately, steam went everywhere. I began to chuckle.

"What" he said.

"Shower not hot enough for you" I said with a smirk. The famous Scott smirk that I have grown to mock.

"Ha-ha, very funny. You know you love it."

"Depends. Anyway, can you watch him while you get dressed and finish packing? Please" He can never turn down the puppy dog face.

"Sure. But hurry, I don't want to be late" he said.

"Uh, wait! A few hours ago you were complaining about going and now you don't want to be late?" Now I'm confused.

"Well, yeah, I don't want to go but you know I hate being late for stuff even if it deals with my dad." He turns to the closet to get dressed.

"I know babe. It won't be as horrible as you might think it will be. Your dad has gotten a lot better and you know that. Yeah your dad isn't the greatest person alive" It makes me laugh just thinking about it, "but he has tried to become a better person."

He turns around fully clothed and looks at me. "Yeah, I know. I'm sorry. He still gets on my nerves though."

Jokingly I say, "Well I think we both know that won't change."

Knowing that that got him in a better mood, he steps closer and kisses me.

"Okay can I take a shower now 'cause if you keep me any longer, you will start blaming me for your own actions" I smile.

Pouting, he says, "Oh fine, but you owe me."

"I'll think about it."

His grin becomes wider, "Fine."

"I'll be out soon. And by the time I'm out you better be finished packing" I notice that my voice fades into the sounds of the water running in the shower. Laughing I think, he probably didn't hear me.

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"Hales we gotta go!" He yelled from down the hall.

"I'm just finishing packing him. Chill Nate. We will be fine!"

He heard me yell and I can hear him come towards James' room. He comes in and sees that James is in my arms, up in the air, we are playing "airplane". I start to make airplane noises and he starts to laugh. I bring him down and he is smiling from ear to ear. I turn my head and notice Nathan is staring at us with a smile on his face.

"Oh yeah you are definitely packing alright" he says laughing. I know he isn't stressed anymore when he walks over to lay on the floor with us.

Whispering, he says, "Now this is perfect."

"Yeah it really is. I would love to stay here all day with you, but hunny we kind of gotta go now." I stand up with James and begin to leave and then stop when I hear Nathan say, "Oh now my wife wants to leave."

Fifteen minutes later all I hear is, "Got everything?"

I finish locking the apartment. Wow going away from this place for four days. It is so hard for us to get out now a days. I nod to my husband, "Yeah I think. We have the present for everyone right?"

He turns at me in shock handing James to me, "There are presents?!" My mouth drops.

"You have got to be kidding me?"

He nods laughing, "Don't worry I am. And to answer your question, yes, I got the presents." He gives me a wink. I feel as if I'm going to melt whenever he gives me that look. Okay now snap out of it!

I finish putting James in his car seat and then get into the front, "Let's go!"

Within the few minutes that we are in the car, I begin to daydream. I think about the few days that lead up to renewing my vows to my husband. I remember sitting with him on the couch, eating ice cream, talking about our special day. I tell him my idea of making that day even more special. I remember waiting to hear what I have to say. "What if we wait to have sex after we get married…well again?" I say looking so excited about my plan. He looks at me trying to hide his confusion and says, "Are you kidding?"

"No. Do you still love me?" And I'm just thinking, oh god he is going to freak.

"Um, yeah, but if that's what you want then okay."

I snap out of my daydream laughing. We are at a red light and Nathan looks at me confused. "What's so funny?"

"Oh nothing. Well I was just thinking about that night I told you my oh so brilliant idea about us not having sex until we got married again. And your face was priceless."

He laughs, "Yeah, but don't ever do that again. Those days were so difficult and you know it. I never thought I could get through that."

I laugh along. "I'm sorry, but it was worth it wasn't?"

He looks over playfully and winks at me, "Hell yeah!"

He's right though. Those few days were really tough. He would do things on purpose for me to change my mind. Thank god it never worked, but it came close. If we were kissing, I would pull away knowing what he was trying to do and he would start laughing and walk away. I remember him saying, "Oh come on Haley. Don't fight it." And I would follow where ever he was going and wait until he turned around so I could say, "Well if you keep this up, I'm going to hold it off even longer after we renew our vows." He pouts and says, "Oops, sorry." Holding sex from Nathan Scott was such a punishment in such a funny way. He knew I found it funny and he called it unfair.

I find it odd, but refreshing when I think about our marriage together. Odd meaning that we got married at 16 and we couldn't have been more in love. We are in college and 18. People might find it strange that we are still together. I don't one bit. That's why I find it refreshing. Some people can't pull it off, but we can. Yeah, we have had fights, who doesn't have them when they are in a relationship. Last year I left him. Not that I didn't love him. I left to go on tour for my music. When I think back to that day, it scares me how I did it. I still loved my husband, I never stopped. But when I think about it today, it got us where we are today, no matter how bad that time was. I regret going. But then that summer a year ago, I came back. Nathan was very distant and angry. He gave me the cold shoulder all the time. I had to keep saying how sorry I was and that I wasn't going anywhere.

He seemed like he forgot how to love me again. I, obviously, had to prove to him that I wasn't leaving him. When I went on tour, I never realized that I could have both my music and Nathan. I thought I had to choose. When the opportunity of my music came around, I thought I would never get that chance again so that's why I left. Within a few months of coming home, Brooke and I lived together in the apartment that my husband and I used to live in. He gave it to Brooke after the summer because he didn't think he needed it anymore. When I came home and saw he moved out, I was shocked and so sad. Nathan, on the other hand, was back to his old asshole self. Blaming other people for his own mistakes. He was like this before he met me. People have said to us that I changed him into a better man, but when I left, he lost that part of himself.

When I was living with Brooke, she was glad I was back. She among very few people, were happy. Thinking about it now, the only people that were happy were her, Luke, and Karen. At that point Brooke and Lucas were on a "non-exclusive" relationship. In the process they were hurting each other and then in the end, they committed themselves to each other. Thank god! Brooke helped me the most for getting back together with Nathan. She would always tell me in her preppy cheerleader voice, "He'll come around. Believe me, it's Nate. I bet he still loves you, Tutor-Girl. So honestly, don't worry." Brooke was always there. As time went by, I was able to spend time with Nathan talking to him about what happened.

What brought us closer was the shooting at school. I was trapped in the school was a kid with a gun. He knew I was in the tutor center so he came in a found me. He stayed with me until it was safe. Things were then back to normal. About a month later, all of us went on a trip to just get away from the situation with the shooting. That weekend, he asked me to marry him again.

The night of the rehearsal dinner, I felt so sick and after the wedding I took a pregnancy test. I found out I was pregnant. Nathan freaked out when he found out. I could tell he was scared, but so was I. We were so young and things were good between us and now I'm pregnant! It didn't take him long to think about it and come and tell me he was sorry for yelling at me about it. I remember he was at the pres conference that night and I decided not to go because he was upset with me. I remember him saying on the television screen, "My wife couldn't be here today so I just wanted to say one thing to her. Haley, no matter what happens we will face it together. I promise you I have never been happier. Everything is going to be okay. I love you." I cried as I watched and whispered "I love you too".

Then everything was fine, up until the car accident. I was pregnant, not even half way through the nine months when I was hit by a car. Nathan and I had money problems and he tried to ask for help from his dad, but he turned him down. Nathan turned to these two gamblers and they helped him with money. But when they asked him to lose the basketball state championships, he couldn't do it. With his decision, my life was put on the line. As bad his actions sound, he never meant to intentionally hurt me, I know that. I recovered with the baby being fine and my broken leg healing. What made Nathan want to win the state championship was because on me.

That day, I was in a lot of pain and had to be taken to the hospital. There was when I found out we were going to have a boy. I told Nathan that his son was going to make fun of him for his horrible playing. He was so happy and for the second half he own the game. When I found out about his decision, I was so angry and I made him well aware of that. He couldn't complain about me being angry because he knew I was going to be. At least he told me the truth. But now, the past is the past, and that makes us who we are today.

I then snap out of my past and return to my present. Where I belong. With my husband smiling next to me and with a beautiful son in the back. I couldn't have asked for anything else to make me happy. Nothing will ever replace this happiness.

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Okay there's both chapters. Please review!!!


	4. A Certain Stillness

**I never realized until now that some of these chapters are short. I wrote this story awhile back and this is the first time I'm looking over it again. Well, just as the last update, I put two chapters together again. I hope you all enjoy it!**

**And thanks for all the reviews! I love reading what you all think! Keep up the reviews :)**

**Chapter 5: A Certain Stillness**

I turn around in my seat to check on James and he is sound asleep. I turn back and say, "You mind if I put on some Christmas music, he's asleep now."

He nods with eyes still on the road, "Sure."

Dean Martin's _White Christmas_ fills the car. I sing along. Nathan loves when I sing. I used to sing all the time. But then I rarely did it when I came back from the tour. Now I feel that there is nothing to hold me back. Nathan loves me and agrees that the past is just the past.

I love this song. The naming brings out why I love it so much, especially today. There are white blankets of snow everywhere I look. I love Christmas! It is such a happy time. I love the music, the presents, the joy in the air, the smell of freshly baked cookies, and just knowing there is another year to look forward too. When the song is done, I smile at Nathan who is looking out at the road. He is smiling too. "I love you so much," I say to him. He grabs my hand and kisses it, letting me know he is saying the same thing. A few songs pass and we still are not there.

"How much longer babe?"

"Um, I think maybe a little longer. No worries." He smiles with encouragement.

Noticing that I'm tired he says, "Baby, its okay, you can fall asleep if you want to. You don't have to stay up with me."

"You sure?"

"Yup."

"Okay, well wake me up when we are close."

"Alright."

Then I slowly drift off to sleep.

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"Baby, wake up. We're almost there."

I open my eyes and see that he has stopped at a red light. I sit up and glance over at James. He is wide awake. Then I glance back at my husband. He still makes my heart skip a beat every time I see him. I lean towards him and give him a peck on the cheek.

"Sleep well babe," he said.

"Uh huh."

"Well stay awake because we'll be there in a few minutes."

I glimpse out the window and see the several beach houses lined up. Although it is winter, the beach never changes. Yeah, it's not warm, but that doesn't keep you away from taking a walk on it. Just like at home, there is snow on the ground. Inside I am making many wishes to have a good Christmas. Mostly hoping that Dan won't an ass, but most likely he will without even knowing it.

I then remember one out of the many times that Dan was being an jerk. The last time he behaved like, what some people call his "normal" self, it was a few months after I found out I was pregnant. My leg was beginning to heal from the accident. Dan was making his usual commitments about things that didn't make sense. I believe it was about Nathan missing work one day. It was only ONE day. Both Nathan and I know that we need money, the reason he didn't go was because he was really sick. Dan finds out he wasn't at his job and gets mad at Nate before he could explain. Dan was saying things that we already knew. Things like he can't afford to get sick with a baby on the way and me still on crutches. I made Nathan stay home that day, he was throwing up, barely slept the night before, and he couldn't even stand on his own two feet. I was definitely not allowing his to go; he might even hurt himself even more.

Dan yelled as usual, making Nathan feel guilty. Since Nathan couldn't really do anything because he was about to throw again any second, I spoke for him. I made sure Dan heard me so I had to yell even louder than him. Once Dan left, I was fuming. I took me awhile to finally calm down and then there was this sudden, "Owww!"

Nathan looked at me concerned, "Are you okay? What's wrong? Do I need to take you to the hospital? I don't care if I'm throwing up, but ---"

"Nathan! It's okay. The baby just kicked."

"What! Oh my god, really?"

"Uh huh. Come here." I put his on my growing stomach. The baby kicks again.

"Wow," he says.

"I know."

I look up and he is smiling from ear to ear. "He's all ours."

"Yes he is." He leans and kiss me on the lips. We sit there for awhile, with our hands on my stomach. I see his wedding band and think everything is going to fine. Nothing like Dan could pull us apart, even if the situation was as stupid as it was.

Again, I shift out of my day dream and see we are here. I bit my lip knowing that it is almost Christmas.

"How about you get Jamie and take him inside since its cold. And if Luke is in there, could you tell him to help me with the presents and bags?"

"Sure babe." I say grabbing James out of the back seat. I hold him close to me so he doesn't get cold. "Lets go say hi to everyone my little one." James looks at me with that beautiful baby smile that I love. We hurry up the stairs and before I can get to the top step, Luke comes out.

"Hey Hales," he says. "Oh and hi little Jamie."

"Hi Luke." We exchange hugs quickly because it's freezing outside. "And do you mind ---"

"Helping Nate with the bags?" He laughs. "Nope, go inside and warm up. Peyton is here and so is mom and Sophie. We'll be done in no time."

"Thanks Luke."

I walk into the house quickly and find Peyton sitting by the fire. She runs over quickly once she sees us.

"Hey guys!" She says give us both a hug.

"Hey Peyt. How are you? How is New York?"

"Umm, it's good. I'm glad to be back though. I missed you so much."

"Um, Peyt, we talk like three times a week."

"Yeah, but I never actually see you."

"Good point!"

Next I heard a baby scream from the kitchen. Automatically I think its Sophie. I see Karen's face first who is trying to calm down a very upset Sophie. She comes over to us and gives me a huge hug. Sophie finally calms down when she sees Lucas walk through the door with Nathan walking behind him. Both of them holding bags. Lucas puts the bags down and walks over to hold Sophie, who is now very happy.

Karen starts laughing, "Now a days, she seems to enjoy his company more than mine."

We all laugh along with her, while Nate gives both Peyton and Karen a hug. Dan comes in to the living room from the kitchen with a smile on his face. Immediately this creeps out of all us. I can tell all of us are thinking the same thing; what is he smiling about? Unless he is strangely excited about these next few days.

To add to the strange tension, he gives me a greeting with a kiss on the cheek and Nathan a fatherly hug. "How was your drive?"

"Um, it was good dad, uh thanks." Nathan says this with such confusion. I don't blame him.

"That's good. Mind if I?" He says pointing to our son to ask permission to take him.

"Uh, sure. Thanks. I could use a break for awhile."

"No problem. Make yourselves at home."

I nod and walk towards Nathan helping him bring the bags up to our room. Once we are done. We manage to get a few minutes alone by just laying on the bed together, just us, no one else. I feel a kiss on my forehead. "As much as I miss this… I think we should go downstairs before they think we ran away."

I sit up, pouting. "I guess, I mean if we have to. But that whole "running away" thing is a great option."

"Believe me, I agree." We both laugh and grabs my hand, kissing my wedding ring. I love when he does that.

We both head downstairs. Hours pass that are filled with laughter and stories of the past few months. I start to think, this won't be so bad after all. I look around at everyone and notice they are all distracted in their own conversations. The babies are now asleep and I manage to slip away from the commotion to grab my coat and walk on the beach. This might actually be one of the first times I get to walk on a beach at Christmas. It feels better than in the summer. I feel a sense of stillness and calmness that passes through my body. Can't it be like this all the time?


	5. Being Alone

**I just realized that I had a little goof on the last update. I put chapter 5 when it was supposed to be 4. Sorry about that. Here's chapter 5! Thanks so much for all the great reviews!**

**Chapter 5: Being Alone**

The sun has gone down and I pay attention to the sounds of the waves crashing on the beach. Silence is followed by the sound footsteps coming towards me.

"Hey" I say knowing it's my husband.

"Why are you out here all alone?"

"I just felt like taking a walk down here while y'all were in there talking and the babies were asleep."

He reaches for my hips and hugs me from behind. When I face him, his cheeks are red from the wind. "Well you're not alone now. Is that okay?" He says chuckling.

I smirk, "I'm perfectly fine with that."

There is now stillness. Not a bad stillness. We stand there, in each others arms, keeping warm. I break the silence and look at my husband. "I can't believe its Jamie and Sophie's first Christmas! I'm so excited!"

He laughs, "So am I. I don't think they will know what to do when they see all the presents." He looks away and I can tell he is thinking about the accident again. I turn his face towards me and kiss him, making sure he knows that it is okay. He smiles at me and nods in a way of saying 'thank you'. I know he appreciates when I make sure he knows those things.

"How 'bout we go inside? I'm starting to not feel my legs."

"Sure" he says, taking my hand in his. On our way back, he rubs my wedding band with his thumbs and smiles. Oh, I love the little things he does.

We get into the house and there is barely anyone around. We walk over to the fireplace, both thinking the same thing, WARMTH! He picks me up and puts me on his lap. But we aren't left alone just yet. Dan comes in saying he is going to bed. He tells us that Karen went to bed shortly after Sophie. He checked on James and he is sound asleep. Luke and Peyton went upstairs to watch a movie and then were going to fall asleep. We nod and say goodnight. Finally, we are alone.

We sit on the couch in silence. About two hours have passed and I feel myself start to doze off. I look at Nathan and he is already asleep. The clock on the mantle says 11:45. I lightly nudge his side and his eyes flutter open. "Yeah Hales?"

"Nothing. I just wanted to ask if you wanted to get up and head upstairs or stay down here to sleep."

He looks at the time and sighs. "Well we can't leave him upstairs alone with no one to watch him so we better go upstairs. So much for being warm and comfortable."

"Yeah, yeah. I know. So was I." We both pout and get up from the spot we haven't moved from for the past two hours.

We head upstairs and walk quietly into our room. James is still, surprisingly, asleep. I chuckle at the sight of our son. He is crawled up with his blanket and is smiling. I kiss his forehead and wish him a goodnight sleep. Our little bundle of joy.

We gently get into bed, trying not to wake our son up. "Night baby" I whisper.

"Goodnight babe. I love you."

"I love you too. Sweet dreams."

"You too."

Ending the night in a goodnight kiss leaves me thinking about how good life is. Before I doze off into a deep sleep, I remember lying in my husband's arms, smiling down at me. He will never stop taking my breath away, will he? Nope.

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Sorry the update is so short. When I was writing it, I put it on Word, so it looked longer :).


	6. Reunited

**Thanks for the awesome reviews!!!!!! It was actually my first story I wrote. I'm glad to get great reviews from you all. Here's the next chapter. Its not as short as the last one.**

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**Chapter 6: Reunited**

I awake out of my pleasant dream to the sound of clashing pots and pans from the kitchen. The clock on the table says 9:32. Who is making so much noise? Nathan is by my side with James in his arms. In the middle of the night James was crying from his crib, so Nathan picked him up and brought him over to sleep with us. Although I wanted to sleep alone with my husband, I did not mind one bit that our son was separating us for the rest of the night. Little things like that made me feel complete inside. I had everything I wanted, right in front of me. My family. Quietly, I remove myself from the bed, trying to not wake my boys up.

As I walk down the steps, the obnoxious noise grows louder and louder with each step. Who is up? Turning the corner into the kitchen, I see Brooke, Lucas, and Peyton. They are all working to make breakfast for everyone. When I see Brooke I scream with excitement. Of course, my actions make them all jump. My Tigger is here!

I gave her a huge hug. "Tigger!"

"Tutor-mommy! Oh my god, I missed you so much! Where's my little nephew?" she says.

Although Brooke isn't blood related, she was my best friend, and I wanted her to become 'Auntie Brooke' for James.

"Um, I believe he is still asleep with his daddy. But they should be up soon after waking up to us screaming."

Peyton and Lucas stepped away from the breakfast they were making everyone and exchanged good morning greetings with me.

"So, um, how is everything? I haven't seen you since the summer, was it? Oh, and, did you get all the clothes that I made for Jamie?" she says in her 'still' preppy cheerleader voice.

I laugh while realizing her numerous questions just asked. Nothing out of the ordinary. "Well, everything and everyone is great. And, yeah, the clothes came. I gotta say Tigger; you keep getting better and better with your designs."

With all modesty she replies, "Well thank you my love. They are good aren't they?"

I nod and turn towards Luke and Peyton. "So guys…what's for breakfast?"

Peyton reveals the options. "Well, we've got eggs, bacon, sausage, and waffles. Sounds goods huh?"

"Yummy. You know, if I was pregnant right now, I would want to have strawberry ice cream and pickles on top of every single choice." I say this with a smile while remembering what it was like to be pregnant.

Luke jumps in the conversation, "Ha! Yeah we all remember Hay. You would eat them together. EW! It was so gross."

"Shut up! You try being pregnant and having weird cravings."

"Well when you think of it now, don't you think it's gross" he says.

"I guess. But then it was like heaven in my mouth."

"I especially remember that" a familiar voice comes from behind me. "I remember getting up at three in the morning to go and get you it when we ran out." It was Nate.

"Hey sleepy head." I lean in and give my tired husband a kiss while noticing that our son is leaning on his chest attempting to wake up.

"Hey buddy. Someone looks tired, huh?" James looked at his mother and his mouth widen into a sleepy smile.

"Hi yourself." Nathan greeted his wife.

Brooke comes prancing over towards James and I. "There's my nephew" she takes James from me and maneuvers towards Nathan. "Hey Nate."

"Morning Brooke. How've you been?"

"Um, good. You?"

"Happy."

She nods. Nathan and Brooke rarely have one of those conversations where they are serious and sit down and just talk about life. They have always been like that. Most of the time they usually make fun of each other more than anything. Nothing harmful though.

Slowly, the house full of people got up and ate breakfast. Once breakfast was done, the girls and I started preparing for tonight's dinner. The boys decided to take James and Sophie out for a little. It was a relief when they finally left because with Christmas dinner we definitely should not be disturbed. We made the boys well aware of this fact.

Karen, Brooke, Peyton, and I happen to still be working on tonight's dinner when the boys return. They had decided to go rent some movies and grab dessert. Nate and Luke managed to spend time with their father, who has unexpectedly become a more pleasant person to be around.

"Hey guys. Have fun?" Karen yelled from the kitchen.

Luke and Nate walked in. "Um, yeah. We actually had fun, believe it or not." Nathan said.

I glide towards my husband. "See! I told you this Christmas won't be horrible."

"Yeah, I guess. It's one of those things when you have to see it to believe it." Luke says.

Brooke jumps in, "Well, since you boys came home a little early than we'd expected you to, you all will have to find something to do here with the kids."

Dan comes walking in, "What? You all aren't finished yet? You women take forever."

"Well, you men complain too much. And no, we are not finished yet. But believe me, it's almost done." Karen says while putting the delious food into the oven.

"This will cook for about an hour or so and then we have to make the dessert."

Lucas whines. "But mom, we got dessert."

"Oh, well you boys can eat that because it seems to look so appetizing from over here." She says sarcastically.

"Ha-ha. Oh so funny. Since you happen to think our dessert is gross, what are you making?" he says.

I turn towards the pantry and bring out a box of baking mix. "We are making chocolate chunk brownies." I said.

Nathan smirks at me and says, "Sorry guys. I'm having theirs because ours can't exactly beat that. We got some sort of pie looking thing from the grocery store."

"Fine, we can throw this out." Dan says laughing. He tosses the container into the trash can.

Dan and Luke walk out and Nathan comes over to me while I'm washing dishes. Wrapping his arms around my waist, he lays kisses on my neck. In a soft whisper I hear, "You're beautiful baby." I can feel his breath on my skin. Oh, I melt.

"Thanks." I say blushing. He loves seeing me blush.

"Need any help?" he asks.

"Nope, but thanks honey." I reply. "So what movies did you get?"

He starts to rub small circles on my back and he says, "We gotNational Lampoon's Christmas Vacation and A Christmas Story Your favorites."

Turning around, I smirk. "Oh, you know me so well." This makes him laugh. If he didn't know my favorite Christmas movies by now, then that wouldn't be good. Just kidding.

"So I was thinking, once you are done, we can all watch a movie… is that cool?" he asked joyfully.

"Sure. But can I pick?" I said, giggling like a child.

"Yeah, which one?"

"How 'bout… Christmas Vacation!"

"Sounds good. I'll tell everyone else. Five minutes?" he said.

"Yeah, five minutes." I nod in agreement.


	7. Merry Christmas

**I have to say that I am really sorry that these chapters are so short. Like I said, I havent looked at the story in awhile and i didnt realize the chapters were so short compared to what most people write on here. I'm still glad that you all have given me great reviews. Let me know what you think of this one :)**

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**Chapter 7: Merry Christmas**

About two hours later, the movie finished and it was time for dinner. What a feast it was. There was joy and laughter spread throughout the meal. I couldn't remember the last time I had this much fun with our family and friends, including Dan. It still surprised me how much Dan has changed in the past year. I actually enjoy his company. I can have a normal conversation with him without it being awkward. Thank god he changed or I don't know what it would still be like.

We conclude dinner with the "women's" amazing dessert. Just as we thought, the guys were thankful that we made something instead of all of us having what they kindly picked out at the grocery store. It gets close to bed time for the little ones and they are put upstairs in their cribs.

Finally, peace and quiet. Brooke, Peyton, I clean up the dishes from dinner and dessert while Dan and Karen begin to grab all the presents to put under the Christmas tree. Luke and Nathan decided to be nice and be the ones to get more firewood into the house.

Once everyone's jobs were completed, we sat by the fire. It was nice. I caught up with Brooke and her many adventures in New York studying fashion design. Brooke and I began to ramble on about our lives, the ups and downs, when suddenly something caught my attention out the window.

-------------------------------------------

It was snowing! Snow was one of the many things that always made Christmas special for me. I felt like a kid whenever I saw it, wanting to go sledding or make snow angels. With that joy it also brought peace. There was this calmness about it that sometimes was hard to understand. But I realized you don't have to understand it. Just enjoy it.

Brooke and I got up from the couch where we were sitting and ran to the window. Conversations are now on pause and everyone else walks towards us.

"Isn't it beautiful?" I say with such joy.

Nathan comes up behind and rubs my shoulders. "Yeah. It really is."

"I love this time of year." Brooke says with a smile. "Although, I haven't had much of a family these past few years, but when it snows, it brings back the good times I had in my childhood."

It hurts me when Brooke talks about her past with her parents. From the way I see it, they pretty much abandoned her. It is sometimes hard for her to talk about it, but when she does, you can still hear the hurt in her voice, even if she doesn't admit it.

When I look at Brooke, I don't seem someone who is lonely from the hurt that her parents put on her. I see someone who has so much talent for design and uses it in every way possible. I see what a huge heart she has. She is a wonderful person. I would never want to replace her for anything.

Peyton breaks the silence and says, "I love the snow!" Luke held her close. I look around at everyone and notice we are all at peace.

"Merry Christmas everyone!" I say with a smile on my face.

"Merry Christmas!"

I turn towards Brooke who is still facing the frosted covered window. She sees me watching and gives me a smile, letting me know she is fine.

"You sure hun?" She nods in response. I pull her in for a hug and give her a peck on the cheek. "Merry Christmas Brookie! Love you!"

Her smile widens and she has tears in her eyes. They seem to be happy tears though. "Merry Christmas Hales! I love you too."

I leave her side so she can be alone, just remembering.


	8. Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas

**Hey all! Thanks for the wonderful comments. I love reading what you all say. I'm glad your enjoying it. Well I wanted to say I hope everyone had a Happy 4th of July, for those that celebrate it. And its late here so i wanted to make sure i had an update for you all. Enjoy!**

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**Chapter 8: Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas**

A half hour has passed and we all go back to our conversations. I think to myself as I watch everyone so animated while still in their conversations, what is missing from this wonderful Christmas? Then it comes to me. Christmas music!

I try to get Dan's attention and when I do, I ask, "Where's the stereo? We need Christmas music." He smiles and nods over to the television.

"It is underneath the DVD player. Oh and Haley? Pick something good." He says it with a smile and I laugh. I walk over to the cabinet where the equipment is held. Who has this much stuff for a TV? I ask myself laughing. I find the right station and "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas" comes on. I begin singing the song and Brooke and Karen join in with me.

_Have yourself a merry little Christmas _ _Let your heart be light _ _Next year all our troubles will be _ _Out of sight _ Nathan stands up and grabs my hand to dance. He sees the surprised look on my face and smiles. Things he does can be very surprising sometimes. All the little things are what get to me. It makes me love him even more. I nuzzle my head into his chest and I follow his lead. _Have yourself a merry little Christmas _ _Make the yule-tide gay _ _Next year all our troubles will be _ _Miles away _ _Once again as in olden days _ Brooke stands up and takes Peyton's hand. This makes us all laugh including them. They have had their fights in the past, but they are better now. Brooke had to make sure she got Peyton's hand before Luke did. Brooke saw the pout on Luke's face and says laughing, "Sorry. I got her first." _Happy golden days of yore _ _Faithful friends who are dear to us _ _Will be near to us once more _ Brooke and Peyton slow dance together, but in their silly way. You can tell they are back to their old selves again. Something that brings relief to my heart. Luke, Karen, and Dan are left on the couch, smiling. _Someday soon, we all will be together _ _If the Fates allow _ _Until then, we'll have to muddle through somehow _

_So have yourself a merry little Christmas now. _

The song ends and Peyton and Brooke take their bows. Oh the things they do to get attention. They haven't changed. We laugh at their 'wonderful' dancing and listen to another Christmas song that comes on the radio.

Before we knew it, it was getting late and it was time to go to bed. We were all surprised that the babies were sleeping so well. Must be something in the air. So we say our goodnights and head upstairs. Within ten minutes, Nathan and I climb into our bed.

"Merry Christmas baby!" He whispers in my ear.

I turn to face him and kiss him sweetly. "Merry Christmas! I love you."

"I love you too Hales."

And we drift softly into a deep, peaceful sleep.


	9. Classic Christmas

**Hey all! Here is the next update!! Enjoy!**

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**Chapter 9: Classic Christmas**

Its Christmas morning and I awake with a wide grin on my face. Nathan is next to me with his arms wrapped around my waist. I turn to face him and lightly kiss his temple. He stirs a little. I move closer towards his ear and whisper, "Merry Christmas hunny." His eyes open slightly and he smiles. "Baby, I know you love Christmas, but explain to me, why so early?"

I show him the famous smirk and say, "Because I know you love me enough to get up with me. If we're lucky, we could be the only ones awake."

He chuckles at my cuteness. "Fine, but where is my good morning kiss?"

I smile. "Its right here" and kiss my husband. I notice that he glances past me and looks out the window. The Christmas snow was beautiful. He leans into me again and kisses me passionately. We are broken apart by our son becoming restless in his crib.

We both get up from bed and Nathan walks over to pick up James. "Merry Christmas buddy."

A wide grin forms on his face as we both give him our morning kisses. Quickly, we move towards the stairs, trying to not wake everyone else. Just as I hoped, no one else was awake. We had the Christmas morning to ourselves. The stairs led to the den which was lit brightly by the white snow, glowing from outside.

"A perfect white Christmas" Nathan says.

"Yeah" I say looking out the window and then turning to my husband and son, "it really is."

Nathan kisses my forehead and leads us to the couch to see if there is anything 'Christmassy' on TV. I sit beside my husband and admire his features. His strong jaw line, his blue eyes that I could stare at for hours, his lips that, well, I can say many things about them. He notices that I'm staring and chuckles.

"Still can't handle yourself, can you Hales?"

"Hmm, well, you ARE the most oh so handsome husband out there" I say between giggles.

"Well, I'm glad I'm still attractive to you." He looks at me with a smirk.

"Believe me. That feeling will never go away." He bends down and kisses my grin.

"Ditto" He says.

We were flicking through the channels when I noticed that James was falling back asleep in my husband's arms. I nodded towards Nate and put my finger to my mouth saying, "Shh!" He lightly chuckled at my childish actions. Minutes pass and we finally come across Jules Bass's Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town.

"Yay, one of my favorites." I said in my quiet, but playful voice.

"I've never seen it." Nathan says.

"WHAT!? You have never seen this. It's a classic!" He shakes his head 'no'. "Oh, that is going to change very soon."

He laughs, "Okay. Whatever you say Hales."

"Oh, yay. This is gonna be fun!"

He groans.

"Nate? I'm serious. You might actually like them." I say seriously.

He stares at the way I'm smiling. I look like a little girl at Christmas. Well, hey, it is Christmas! Then he looks down at our son and back at me.

"This is the best Christmas ever Hales" he says softly, but loud enough so I'm the only one that hears him speak.

I turn away from the movie and smile. I whisper to him soft words before placing a long, warm kiss on him lips. I pull away and touch him forehead with mine. I have to agree with him though; it really is the best Christmas ever.


	10. Private Presents

**Hey! Thanks for the wonderful comments. Glad you all are enjoying the story so much. Well here is the next chapter. I will try to update before tomorrow night. I might be going away for the weekend. But if you don't see an update, I'm sorry. :) Enjoy!**

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**Chapter 10: Private Presents**

The movie fades from the screen at the same time when I hear Brooke sleepily walking down the steps.

"Merry Christmas family!" She says smiling. She spots James still asleep in Nathan arms and gently sits next to us on the couch.

"Merry Christmas Brooke." Nathan says gently.

"So what are you two watching?" She asks.

"Well, Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town was just on, but up next is The Year without a Santa Claus." I explain.

"Oh, nice! I love those movies!" She squeals.

Nathan nods in agreement and I look at him shocked. "So, my husband, Nathan Scott, actually liked the movie."

"Ha-ha. Yes I did. So surprising?" He mocks.

"Yeah kind of, but I'm glad you liked it. They are on all day so it's even better." I say back.

"Well then bring it on." Both Brooke and I laugh at him.

Our laughter is followed by Peyton and Luke coming down the stairs and then moments later, Dan, Sophie, and Karen. We all greet each other with Christmas greetings.

The day is filled with joy, laughter, love, and just having fun. Sophie and James had no idea what was going on. The only thing that interested them was toys that made noise or moved around. The rest of us exchanged presents. Later on, Nathan pulled me aside.

"I have another present for you!" He says smiling.

"Baby you didn't have to get me anything else." I say.

"I know, but I wanted to. Now close your eyes." He points at me "It's a surprise."

"Aww fine, party pooper."

"I'm definitely not a party pooper missy. Is it bad that I want to give my wife her Christmas present?"

"Well, no." I pout before closing my eyes.

He laughs and I hear him scramble around searching for the present. I can hear him walking back towards me. "Open your eyes." He says. I look down and see a velvet box.

"What in the world did you get me Nathan Scott?!"

"C'mon just open it." He utters smirking.

I open the velvet box and gasp. I hold in my hand the precious gift from my husband. It is a heart necklace with a matching diamond ring. They are both engraved with our loving phrase "Always & Forever". But when I turn over the necklace, there are more words engraved. On it reads "To my wife. I love you. Always & Forever. Love, Nathan."

"Oh my goodness Nathan! This is beautiful hunny! Thank you so much. I absolutely love it."

He grins. "I was hoping you would. Merry Christmas Baby!"

"Merry Christmas" I whisper and close the distance between us and kiss him.

He breaks the kiss and turns me around and puts the necklace on me. It truly is beautiful. Then he turns me back around and grabs the ring. He puts it right above my wedding band and kisses it. I blush at his actions and stumble into his embrace. Finally, we are alone.

Is it possible to love someone this much? For me, it is and I'm happy to say that for myself. I know he feels the same way too. He wouldn't open up to me the way he does if he didn't love me that much. He wouldn't kiss me the same way. Nothing would be the way he does them. He has his ways of showing me he cares. His ways are like no one else's.

We just stand for awhile, enjoying each other. I couldn't say how long the time was that passed, but it doesn't matter, does it? I was able to be with my husband, alone, and not have to care about anything or anyone else in that moment. He takes me away from my thoughts and kisses my forehead. His touch is so gentle, so familiar. I tighten my hold on his waist. He surprises me by leaning into me and whispering in my ear.

"Let's just lay down for a little bit."

"That sounds nice."

He grins and picks me up off the floor and gently lays me on our bed. I grab the large blanket from the end of the bed and pull it on top of us. While pulling me close to his chest, he rubs small circles on my lower back where my tattoo of his jersey number is located. I miss this sometimes. After having James, we can barely have alone time. At this point, I could stay here forever. I feel myself relaxing against his strong body and find myself falling into a deep sleep.


	11. New York?

**I would of updated sooner, but things have been crazy lately. Here's the new update!**

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**Chapter 11: New York? **

I have been having a lot of the same dreams lately. In these dreams, I'm pregnant. When I think about what happens in these dreams, they are more like flashbacks. I remember loving being pregnant. I think it's amazing to be able to touch my baby bump and imagine a little infant growing inside me; an infant that is both my husband and I. Nathan was always by my side making sure I was okay. He didn't seem to get fed up with my mood swings, unlike other people.

I guess I'm having these dreams because I miss feeling the way I did. Yeah, I hated the constant cravings in the middle of the night, the mood swings, not feeling beautiful, and especially the nonstop peeing. Nathan helped a lot though. He made sure to tell me everyday that he loved me and that I was beautiful to him, no matter what I thought of myself at the moment.

My dream was just like a flashback. It was when it was getting close to my due date and I was getting really nervous. I was eating constantly; basically eating everything in sight.

_It was late at night and I couldn't fall asleep. Nathan could hear my heavy breathing and interrupted my thoughts with his voice. _

_"Baby what's wrong? You need your sleep." He asked, with his eyes still closed. _

_"Nate I'm scared." I started sobbing. I feel him beside me, sitting up from his previous position and grabbing me into his embrace. He rocked me back and forth trying to calm me down. _

_"Hunny, its okay. I promise. You are going to be just fine. There's nothing to worry about. I'm right here. I'm not going anywhere baby." _

_He let me cry until I began to settle down. He lay me down beside him and kept me in his arms. I could feel myself drifting off to sleep, until all of sudden I felt a sharp pain in my stomach. _

_"Oh my god!" I yelped. _

_"What? What's wrong?" He asked, concerning. _

_"Babe, I think my water just broke." _

I awake from my dream with a smile on my face. I look to the nightstand next to me and see that it is 2:15 in the afternoon. The winter sun is still shining through the window. I take my gaze off the window and look at the arms still wrapped around my waist. I turned around to face him, he looks so peaceful. I press my lips against his and he opens his eyes.

"Hi to you too." He chuckles.

"Hello" I whisper. He leans towards me and mocks my previous actions. Breaking away from the kiss I say, "How did I get so lucky?"

He smirks, "I thought it was my remarkable charm and sexy looks."

"That and I few others things." I say while mirroring his facial expressions.

I focus on something on the other side of the room on our closed bedroom door. There's a note. I walk over and take the taped note off of the door.

"Brooke left us a note." I explain.

"What does it say?" He says curiously.

"Dear Nate and Hales. I walked in to see what was taking you two so long and noticed you were asleep. I took one look at you both and could tell that you really needed alone time. You both looked so comfortable so I didn't want to wake you. No need to worry about James, I made sure he was taken care of. He is probably taking a nap by the time you read this. When I was watching you both, I thought of a brilliant behind brilliant idea. I was thinking that I could stay over at Karen's house with her and Sophie on the weekend of New Years, and if you would allow me, I could take James with me and you two can have New Years Eve alone. When you wake up tell me what you think. Love you!! Brooke."

"Wow! That's really nice of her." He smiles.

"Yeah it does. You know what would be my ultimate dream place to go for New Years?"

"No. What?" He asks.

" NEW YORK CITY!"

"Really? Well if we actually do this, then yeah, we can go there." Nathan says.

"Oh my god! Really? Can we, can we please?" I plead.

"Sure. Whatever you want baby."

"Yay!! Thank you." I grab his hand. "Let's go tell Brooke." He follows my lead as I skip out of our room.


	12. Remembering

**Well I'm sorry to say that there are only 2 more chapters left. :(. But for those of you reading my other story, Life Is Beautiful, then you don't have to worry about that one ending any time soon. Well here is the next chapter. :)**

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**Chapter 12: Remembering**

"Hey sleepy heads!" Brooke laughs without taking her eyes off the TV.

"Hey! Um, Brooke can we talk to you for a few minutes?" Nathan asks.

"Uh, yeah. Sure." She gets up from the couch and follows us into the kitchen.

Of course, she knows the reason we brought her in here. "So what do you think?"

We both smile at the thought of a few nights alone. I step towards Brooke and give her a huge hug. "Thank you. You don't know how much this means to us."

"No prob. You two deserve a few nights to yourselves. I would be happy to watch him. You know how much I love that boy. So where you two decide to go?" She asks.

Nathan smiles over to me and then back at Brooke. " New York City." He says.

Brooke squeals. "Oh goody! Great pick!"

"Yeah, I have always wanted to go there." I say.

She gives us both a huge. "Well, now that we have that settled, let's finish this Christmas off right." We all laugh and begin walking back into the living room. The rest of the day was relaxing, except for the fact that we knew we had to pack up and leave that night. We ate an early dinner and began packing up our things. The time flew by fast. It really was a great Christmas. Nathan seemed to enjoy being around him dad for once. I think he is waiting for me to say "I told ya so."

Peyton, Brooke, and I left the boys to load bags into the cars to leave, so we decided to take a walk. Peyton looked over at me. "You look happy." She said.

"Yeah, I am. Both you do." I told them.

"So, you excited for your Big Apple trip Tutor-Mommy?" Brooke asked.

I giggled with excitement. "Yeah. I really do appreciate what you are doing for us. It really means a lot."

Brooke stopped me in my tracks and put her hands on my shoulders. "Listen. That has been the millionth time you have said thank you to me. Hales, seriously, you both really deserve for what you two have been through this past year. You guys got remarried, you were in an accident, pregnant, having money troubles, and baby James being born."

Peyton laughed. "Although the last one was on the plus side."

"Well, obviously yeah." Brooke laughs. "But Hales, I bet Peyton can agree with me, stop worrying, you both need this." Peyton nods in agreement.

"You're right." I say. "I'm sure you and the little guy will have a great time."

Ending the subject, we continue talking about random things in our lives. The day's sun began setting and we realize it's getting late and we should head back. We approach the house and stop them before we walked up the steps.

"I've really missed you guys. I've missed all of this. We need to start seeing each other more often." I say sadly.

"Agreed." Peyton and Brooke say in harmony.

I snigger. "Good."

Brooke holds out her arms for us. The last time all three of us were like this was on the day that each of us went our separate way before college.

"Aww. Look. A group hug." Lucas laughs jokingly. Nathan comes walking out of the house and stands beside Lucas.

"Very funny Luke." Peyton says.

"Yeah. You know your jealous." I say.

"Well, all I know is that we have to leave in a few minutes my dearest wife." Nathan declares.

"Alright. Do we have everything ready to go?" I ask him nicely while walking up to him.

"Yup." He smirks.

We spend the a few minutes saying our goodbyes to everyone. Then, I get James situated in his car seat. Nathan opens the passenger door for me and closes it after I get in. He goes to his side and starts the engine. I roll down the window and wave to everyone. I look at each one of them and remember it like I'm painting a picture. Karen has Sophie on her hip and they are both waving. Dan is waving too. He seems to look sad, which is difficult to comprehend because we rarely ever see Dan like that. Peyton is standing next to Brooke, instead of Lucas, which surprises me.

Peyton and Brooke have had so many ups and downs. Too many to count now a days. But seeing them how they were in that moment, gave me hope and a smile grew across my face. Luke is just standing there, his hands in his pockets, smiling. I've known him almost my whole like, he's my best friend, and I'm truly going to miss him. These people, right here, are my family. No matter how dysfunctional they can be, I will still love them.

I wave goodbye and roll my window back up to its previous state. I find myself putting my hand over my necklace and taking a deep breath. Nathan looks over at me and asks, "What's wrong baby?"

"Oh." I chuckle. "It's nothing."

"You sure?" I nod as a response.

"Good." He says with a smile. "So are you excited for New Years as much as I am?"

My smile grow larger. "Of course." I say happily.

"Mind if I turn the radio on?" I ask politely.

"Nope." He says with his eyes still on the road.

I switch to my favorite station and with my luck, a familiar song plays and I sing along.

_Let it go,  
Let it roll right off your shoulder  
Don't you know  
The hardest part is over  
Let it in,  
Let your clarity define you  
In the end  
We will only just remember how it feels_

Our lives are made  
In these small hours  
These little wonders,  
These twists & turns of fate  
Time falls away,  
But these small hours,  
These small hours still remain

Let it slide,  
Let your troubles fall behind you  
Let it shine  
Until you feel it all around you  
And I don't mind  
If it's me you need to turn to 

_We'll get by,  
It's the heart that really matters in the end_

Our lives are made  
In these small hours  
These little wonders,  
These twists & turns of fate  
Time falls away,  
But these small hours,  
These small hours still remain

All of my regret  
Will wash away some how  
But I can not forget  
The way I feel right now

In these small hours  
These little wonders  
These twists & turns of fate  
These twists & turns of fate  
Time falls away but these small hours  
These small hours, still remain,  
Still remain  
These little wonders  
These twists & turns of fate  
Time falls away  
But these small hours  
These little wonders still remain 

Nathan grabs my hand and kisses it. "You really love that song, don't you?" He asks.

"Yeah. I remember listening to it in the hospital one time when you fell asleep next to me. It was a few hours after my water broke and I knew you were exhausted so I told you to sleep. I had one of the nurses grab my iPod out of the bag so I could listen to music because I couldn't fall asleep. It was one of the newest songs I put on there and I already knew the words. When it came on, I sang, but I made sure I didn't wake you. It reminded me of how scared I was, but also that things would be okay."

"Really?" He asks with curiosity.

"Yup. I listened to it over and over again, then you woke up and I looked into your eyes, and I knew for sure, that we are going to be just fine."

Nathan smiles at me. "You've never told me that before."

"I know. But now you have an explanation of why I was so calm and happy when you woke up." I chuckle.

He laughs. "Yeah. I was so confused because while I was falling asleep you were so tense."

"Then a few hours passed and our boy was born."

"And I didn't have to carry around a bag of weird foods with me." He laughs at me while joking.

"Oh you're so funny, aren't you? Well you try being pregnant then." I pout.

"No thanks. I'll leave that to you."

"What are you saying then? You want more kids?" I ask.

"Yeah. Nothing to rush to though. Why? You don't?"

"Of course I do."

"Well we agree on something then." He laughs.

I turn around to check on James and he is sleeping. "Okay answer this. Why is it that he gets more sleep than us now?"

My husband glances at me and smiles. "You already know the answer to that question. Don't worry babe. We will get home soon and then hopefully he will still be asleep and we can just lay him in his crib. Then we can get sleep, okay?"

"Okay." I reply.

We finally get home and following what Nathan said, James is still sleeping.

"Thank god!" I mutter under my breath. I feeling of relief passes through my body.

Nathan takes James to his crib and quietly kisses him goodnight while I unpack. Knowing the time of sleep is coming soon, I quickly put away things in their right places, so I can lay in bed with my husband and fall sound asleep. I do as planned and get into my pajamas. I climb in next to my husband and snuggle into the crock of neck. He strokes my hair softly.

"I love you." I whisper into his skin. Oh does he smell good.

"I love you too baby. Good night." He whispers back.

"Good night."

He pulls me closer into my embrace and I slowly close my eyes into a deep sleep.


	13. Off We Go

**Please dont hate me for these last 2 chapters being so short. Hey, what can I say? It was my first story:). Well enjoy the second to last chapter!**

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**Chapter 13: Off We Go**

"Okay Brooke. Thank you so much. We really love you for doing this." I say as both Nathan and I walk out of Karen's door to leave for our flight.

"No problem guys. Have fun! Call if you want. If not, I'm guessing there's a reason." She calls back, wiggling her eyebrows.

We laugh. "Bye Brooke." Nathan says amusingly.

When we get to the airport, things didn't go that well. The person who was checking our luggage did not understand anything we were saying and our flight got delayed two hours. Some might say that isn't anything compared to their experiences, but for me and Nathan, two parents needing to get away, we hated it!

Two hours later we boarded our plane. I was terrified.

I slowly sit down in my seat next to Nathan and turn towards him. "Okay so explain this for me. We are getting on a plane that was just delayed two hours and its safe? Hell no." I mutter.

"Hales, I promise you its okay. They told us the weather is perfectly fine now. No worries okay?" He says to me calmly.

"No it's not okay, okay?" I look away from him focusing on the window next to me.

"Babe," He sighs, "Look at me." He turns my head towards his. "I wouldn't lie to you. It is okay."

I sigh deeply and begin to relax. "I'm sorry. You know how I get when things seem to go wrong."

He laughs. "Yeah, I know."

I pout. "My husband is mocking me, eh?"

"What are you going to do about it?" He mocks again. I shrug. "Well, what if I do this?" He leans in and kisses me. "Will that make you feel better?"

I smile and look into his eyes. "Yes."

"Good because we have quite some time to be sitting next to each other on this plane and I would hate for you to be mad at me." He says.

"Well then there is nothing for you to worry about then."

"Good." He smiles.

The plane ride went smoothly. Nathan and I talked for most the first hour and then I fell asleep. We landed and I was woken up by a kiss on the forehead.

"Baby wake up. We're here!" He says in his form of an excited whisper. Hearing those last two words, a smile grows upon my face.


	14. Always And Forever

**Here is the final chapter. I hope you all enjoyed the story. I didnt realize how short it was compared to my other one. But I really hope you all enjoyed the story. It was my first one so I'm glad you all have given me great feedback for it. I thank you all very much for your kindness, it means a lot. For those who havent read my other story, Life Is Beautiful, feel free to check it out. Enjoy!!**

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**Chapter 14: Always And Forever**

"Remind me to never ride in a cab ever again." Nathan whines when we get in your hotel room.

"I'll keep a mental note." I respond while putting my purse down.

Nathan grabs me by my side and pulls me into his embrace. "I've missed this."

"I agree!"

"Now that we have a hotel room, why don't we make use out of it before the clock strikes twelve?" He smirks.

I kiss him passionately and then pull back. "Fine by me." I say.

He kisses me back and then lays me on top of the king size bed.

"5…4…3…2…1, HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!" The crowd cheers throughout the streets of New York City.

Nathan and I in the middle of time square watching the ball drop. It really is an amazing sight. Watching it on TV is completely different from watching it up close and personal.

We kiss as soon as the ball drops. This is a perfect way to end the year. This past year has been overall…amazing. I renewed my vowels with the man of my dreams and brought our beautiful son into the world. We started our own family. Is it impossible to be this in love or to be this happy? I have everything I need; my husband, son, wonderful friends and family, and so many memories.

I have learned so much this year. I've grown while learning about love, commitment, trust, parenthood (to be one of the biggest), and so much more.

Our kiss breaks and I look into my husbands eyes and see everything I could have ever wanted.

"You think you can handle another year with me?" He jokes.

"Oh, baby, I would never get tired of you. I could love you forever." I tell him seriously.

He smiles and kisses me while holding me in his arms, right where I belong.

"I love you." I say to him.

"I love you too." He smiles at me and locks foreheads with mine.

"Always and forever."

"Always and forever." He says back.


End file.
